Butt-bend side holder



w. F. HORSTING BUTT BEND SIDE HOLDER June 30, 1925. I 1,543,672

Filed June 13. 19215 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented June 39, 1925. i

UNITED STATES 1,543,672 PATENT oFFics.

WILLIAM F. noasrme, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIenon "11o srennann LEATHER MACHINERY COMIANI, A, CORPORATION OF DELAW'ARE.

BUTT-BEND SIDE HOLDER.

Application filed. June 13, 1923. Serial No. 645,025.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM F. I-IoRsTINe, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in thecounty of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Butt-Bend Side Holder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates more particularly to an improved butt bend side holder attachment adapted for use in combination with a butt bend stretcher frame or rack and is a division of my co-pending application for patent for a leather stretching machine, filed June 13, 1923, Serial No.6l-5,023.

hen butt bends are received for stretching, the side edges tend to be drawn inwardly with the longitudinal stretching of the butt bend in a stretcher rack. To overcome this defect, butt bend side holder attachments are provided for use in combination with a stretcher rack whereby the side edges of the butt bend may be gripped and held in position to permit the butt bend to be properly shaped when stretched longitudinally. 1 i

It is an object of this invention to provide a butt bend stretcher rack with side holder attachments adapted to grip the side mar- :v gins of a butt bend on the rack to hold said side margins from being drawn inwardly when the butt'bend is stretched lon-' I gitudinally. i

It is also an object of the invention to provide a stretcher rack with transverse cross bars which are movably supported on the rack and are equipped with holders having means for engaging the side margins of a butt bend to hold said margins in a predetermined position during a longitudinal stretching operation of the butt bend on the rack. a a I I It is an important object of this invention to provide means whereby the side edges of a butt bend may, be held against being drawn inwardly in the form of concave curves when the butt bend is stretched lon-. gitudinally on a stretcher rack by means of astretching machine with which the rack is adapted to be used.

Other and furtherimportant objects of this invention willbe apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

,The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a butt bend stretcher rack equipped with side holders embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view ofone end of a side holder.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line M of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the butt bend gripper levers.

As shownon the drawings: The reference are mounted on a movable cross bar 9. The

cross bar 9 is secured to sleeves 10 which are slidably engaged on the rack sills 1 and. .are provided with locking mechanisms 11 adapted to hold the cross bar 9 locked in a set stretching position. The cross bar 9 is adapted to be moved outwardly on the rack sills 1 to stretch the butt bend longitudinally. I

In stretching butt bends longitudinally,

numeral 1 indicates the two sills of a butt the side edges tend to assume a concave shape, resulting in mis-shapened stretched butt bends. To obviate the above mentioned defect, butt bends side holders are provided adapted to be used in combination with the stretcher rack to hold the side edges of a butt *bend against being drawn inwardly with the longitudinal stretching of the butt bend. The side holders are supported trans? versely on the rack sills 1, as illustrated in Figure 1, before the butt bend is placed in position on the stretcher rack.

The side holder attachment is illustrated in detail in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, and

bar 12. The metal plate 15 is provided with a long longitudinal slot 16 terminating at one end in an enlarged opening 17. The

side margins of the slot 16'are provided with oppositely disposed notches 18.

Slidably projecting through :the plate slot 16 'is the-flattened portion 19 of a lever 20. lntegral ly formed 'on the inner end of the lever flat portion 19' is a head 21 having a locking lug 22 integrally formed thereon to engage in a pair-of the oppositely disposed plate notches 18to hold the lever locked in a set position on said plate. A sharp pin 23 is rigidly secured to the under side of the lever 20 and is adapted to project through the side margin of the butt bend 6 and project through. the plate slot 16 as illustrated in Figure 3. The flattened portion. 19 of the lever 20 is positioned at right angles to the lever 20 affording a shoulder on the lever at 24.- I

The operation is as follows: When a butt bend is received for stretching it becomes necessary tohold the side edges against being drawn inwardly when the butt bend is stretched longitudinally on the rack. The required number of side holder attachments are .positioned transversely of the rack with the rollers 13 tracking on the rack sills 1., as illustrated in Figure 1.

The straight end 7 of the butt bend 6 is clamped upon the movable cross bar 9 by means of the grippers 8. The butt bend is now drawn over the bars 12. to permit the in regular endb of the butt bend 6 to be gripped by the independently adjustable grippers 4, which grippers are adjustedon the rack board -2.as shown in Figure 1 depending upon the shape of the'irregular end of said butt bend.

The levers'20 are next moved in the plate slots 16 until the leverpins 23- are positioned to pierce through the side margin of the butt bend, as illustrated in Figure 3. The levers are then moved. outwardly until the side edges o'f the butt bend are held substantially straight by the ,pins 23. With the but't bend thus positioned on-therack, the levers are swungtoward the plates 15 to move the proectlng lugs 22 111130 locking engagement with the notches 18 of saidplates 15. The

levers are thus locked in their adjusted or set positions whereby the pins 23"will 'act to hold the side edges of the butt bend against being drawn inwardly when the butt bend is stretched longitudinally. The rack cross bar '9 may be actuated =or pulled outwardly by any suitable stretching machine or mechanisms and is adapted to be locked in a set or adjusted position on the rack sills 1 by means of the locking devices 11.

With the butt bend properly stretched on the rack, with the side holders holding the side margins of said butt bend against being drawn inwardly, the rack may be suspended by its trolley 3 on any suitable support until the stretched but-t bend has set in its stretched condition. The stretched butt bend may be readily removed from the rack by simply releasing the grippers 4 and8, and then lifting. up the levers 20 to withdraw the holder pins 23 from the butt bend.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent 'granted other wise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a butt bend stretcher rack, of butt bend side holder attachments adapted to be removably engaged with the sides ofa butt'bend on said rack, and rollers on said side 'holderattachinents adapted to track on said rack.

2. The combination with a buttbend stretcher rack and the sills thereof, of a bar disposed transversely of said rack rollers on said bar resting-on said'rack sills, and

holders on said bar adapted to engage and hold the side margins of-the butt bend.

3. The combination with aleather stretcher rack and the SlllS thereof, of abar disposed transversely of said rack, rollers on said bar adapted to track on said rack sills,

stretcher rack, of a slotted bar disposed transversely of said rack, plates secured to said bar over the slots therein, levers movably supported on saidplates and projecting into the -bar slots, and-pins on said levers adapted to engage through the side margins of the butt bend to holdthe same in position during a butt "bend stretching operation.

5. The combination with a butt bend stretcher rack, of a bar on said rack having slots therein, notched plates secured on said bar to close said slots, levers projecting tlIFOUgll said plates, pins on said levers adapted 'to be pierced through the'sidel margins of'a butt bend on said" rack, and means on said levers adapted to be engaged in the notches of said 'p'latestohold'the levers locked in adjusted positions on said lates.

6. A butt bend side holder comprising a bar, rollers thereon for supporting the same, and butt bend side holders on said bar adapted to engage and hold the side margins of a butt bend.

7 A butt bend side holder comprising a bar having slots therein, plates secured on said bar over said slots, said plates having notches therein, levers projecting through said plates into said bar slots, locking means on the inner ends of said levers adapted to engage said plate notches to hold the levers locked in adjusted positions, and means on said levers adapted to engage opposite margins of a butt bend to hold the same in place.

8. A butt bend side holder comprising a bar having slots therein, plates secured on said bar over said slots, said plates having notches therein, levers projecting through said plates and movable longitudinally thereof, said levers having a pivotal movement on said plates, pins on said levers adapted to be punched through the margins of a butt bend to hold the same in position, and means on said levers adapted to be moved into engagement with said plate notches ,to hold the levers locked in a set position on said plates.

9. A butt bend side holder comprising a bar, a plate secured thereon having a longitudinal slot and side notches therein, a pivoted lever projecting through said plate slot and adapted to be moved longitudinally on said plate, a pin on said lever adapted to be pierced through the margin of a butt bend to hold the same in place, ahead on the inner end of said lever, and a projection on said head adapted to be engaged in said side notches to hold the lever locked in a set position on said plate.

10. In a butt bend side holder, the com bination with a plate having a longitudinal slot and transverse notches therein, of a lever member having a flattened portion projecting through said plate slot, said lever member adapted to be moved longitudinally on said plate and also adapted to be pivoted, a pin on said lever member adapted to be pierced through a butt bend and project through said slot, a head on the end of said flattened portion of the lever member, and a lug on said head adapted to be engaged in a selected pair of said plate notches to hold the lever member locked against longitudinal movement in a set position on said plate.

11. A butt bend stretcher rack attachment comprising a slotted bar adapted to be moved longitudinally on said rack, plates secured on said bar having slots and notches therein, levers pivotally supported in said slots and adapted to be moved longitudinally with respect to said plates, means on said levers adapted to engage and hold a butt bend, and locking means on said levers adapted to be moved into engagement with said plate notches to hold the levers locked against longitudinal movement on said plates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM F. HORSTING.

Witnesses:

RoY F. JEHL, FRED E. PAESLER. i 

